Value-added and specialty foods consultant Lou Cooperhouse will present “Food Business Basics: Getting Started and Finding Your Niche in the Specialty Foods Business” workshops in Hilo, hosted by East Hawaii (EHCDC) at their Hawaii Food Hub / Hawaii TechWorks location, March 11, 2013, and in Honoka‘a and Pāhala March 12–13, 2013.

Photo courtesy of the Laulima Center.

The workshops are designed for farmers seeking to develop their raw product into a value added product and bring it to market. Additionally, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs interested in diversifying their revenue streams with specialty food products, and established producers looking to take their food businesses to the next level.

The Kohala Center and University of Hawai‘i Maui College are sponsoring and facilitating the workshops, which are made possible by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program grant. The East Hawaii Community Development Corporation is providing additional support.

Following Cooperhouse’s three-hour “Food Business Basics” workshops, Nicole Milne, Agricultural Business Development Specialist at The Kohala Center, will present two onehour sessions focused on financial resources available to Hawai‘i farmers and strategies for marketing agricultural products. Registration is $35.00 per participant in advance, and includes access to all three workshops and lunch. Participants may register online at http://laulimacenter.org/foodbasics or by calling (808) 4432755.

Registrations at the door will be accommodated on a space available basis for $50.00 per participant, with lunch subject to availability.

In addition, Cooperhouse will also conduct 30-minute one-on-one consulting sessions each afternoon with preselected workshop participants. Registrants interested in the one-on-one consultations must complete and submit a brief application, available for download at http://www.laulimacenter.org/pdf/FBB_Consult_App.pdf, by Friday, March 1. Applicants will be notified by March 8 whether or not they are selected for the consultations, which are being offered at no additional charge.

“Lou Cooperhouse’s workshops will prepare island agricultural producers and culinary entrepreneurs to enter the specialty foods industry,” said Milne. “These workshops will help participants understand the specialty foods marketplace, distribution channels, and current and emerging food industry trends, while also helping them define their target audiences, unique selling propositions, and the importance of business and strategic planning.”

“We are thrilled that The Kohala Center and UH Maui College are bringing Mr. Cooperhouse to Hawai‘i, and to be a part of this program by serving as host for Lou Cooperhouse’s Hilo workshop,” said Anthony Marzi, Executive Director of the East Hawaii Community Development Corporation. “Many of the constituents we serve are anxious for this knowledge and training. Having this kind of direct access to Mr. Cooperhouse’s expertise will benefit our island’s farmers and entrepreneurs, and has great potential to strengthen our local economy.”

Cooperhouse is the President of Food Spectrum, LLC, a management consulting company with expertise in business innovation and incubation. He has led cross-functional teams in a wide array of settings throughout his career, including new business startups, family-run companies, global manufacturing operations, and retail and food service operations. Cooperhouse also served as Director of the globally recognized Rutgers University Food Innovation Center, and as an Adjunct Professor in the Rutgers Business School. Earlier in his career, Cooperhouse held positions at Campbell Soup Company, ConAgra, and Nestlé-funded Culinary Brands in areas of business development, product development, quality assurance, and operations. He is the publisher and co-author of a landmark study on the prepared refrigerated food industry, and has spoken at over 100 industry conferences.